Ethnic Tensions Between The Rwanda And The Rwandan Economy

Introduction For decades, Rwanda had been griped with ethnic tensions between the majority Hutu and minority Tutsi populations. These tensions culminated in 1994 when 800,000 to 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists. It is known to be â€Å"the most efficient mass killing since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.† While the ethnic tensions between the Hutus and Tutsis has been cited as the root cause for the genocide, it was not the only reason. It was the economic and political instability that plagued the nation coupled with the ongoing ethnic tensions that led to the genocide in 1994. Pre-Genocide Rwandan Economy Overview Before the genocide in 1994, 90% of the Rwandan population relied on rain-fed subsistence agriculture, which accounted for around 38% of total GDP. Agribusiness also accounted for about 70% of exports, with coffee and tea as the major sources of export earnings. With few natural resources, Rwanda’s economy was mainly restricted to small and uncompetitive industrial sectors, and the production of coffee and tea was especially suited to the small-farm size and family-based mode within the nation. As an economy highly dependent on export earnings, Rwanda’s main export products, such as coffee, were cultivated by around 70% of rural households through the country. In fact, the economic crisis occurred in Rwanda in the early 1990s was mainly attributed to the collapse of international coffee market and furtherShow MoreRelatedThe Genocide Of The Rwandan Genocide1421 Words   |  6 PagesThe Rwanda Genocide was an unfortunate case where thousands of deaths could have been prevented, but because of irresponsibility and selfishness of global governments’ innocent lives were lost. 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